Upholstering device for cushions



NOV. 3, 1936. Q s, REED UPHOLSTERING DEVICE FOR CUSHIONS Filed May 4, 1934 CLa/F 6. Reed Patented Nov. 3, 1936 FFIQE FATENT Clair S. Heed, Jackson, Mich, assignor to Reynolds Spring Company, Jackson, Mich, a corporation of Delaware Application May 4, 1934, Serial No. 723,861

4 Claims.

This invention relates to a cushion construction and more particularly to cushion construction of a character used in vehicle seats, or the like.

Vehicle cushions usually comprise a plurality of coil springs grouped to form a spring unit together with a padded covering on the upper side. 'After a considerable amount of use this covering usually stretches and in order to take up the stretched portions of material to maintain a 10 smooth contour, buttons on the outside of the cover are secured through the cover by springs to the bottom of the cushion. While it would be most convenient to attach the securing coil springs to the bottom of the cushion at points directly 15 beneath the buttons, such construction has not been resorted to successfully for the reason that with a securing spring vertically disposed beneath a button, a load on the cushion immediately above the button compresses the securing spring until its coils close togetherforminga rigid column the the column thus formed seriously interferes with the comfort of a person using the cushion.

An object of this invention is to provide a securing spring of the type above described which will deflect laterally when the cushion is compressed incident to its use.

Another object of this invention is to provide a securing spring of the type above described which is deformed to such an extent that in its untensioned state it defines a plurality of angularly disposed sections.

These and other objects will be apparent from the following specification when taken with the accompanying drawing in which Fig. 1 is a plan view of a cushion constructed according to this invention,

Fig. 2 is a section taken on the line IIII of Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a detailed section showing the spring 40 comprising this invention in position and under tension in a cushion,

Fig. 4 is a somewhat similar view of the spring under compression, and

Fig. 5 is an elevation of a spring in an untensioned state ready to be applied to a cushion.

Referring to the drawing, 5 indicates a cushion constructed according to this invention which includes a plurality of coil springs 2 grouped to form a spring unit 3. The spring unit 3 includes, 50 in addition to the coil springs 2, a suitable frame work 4 and spacing channels 5 for spacing the springs 2.

A pad or covering 6 overlies the spring unit 3 and is constructed in a manner well known in 55 the art. The covering 6 is tufted by a plurality of buttons l which engage with the upper surface thereof. The buttons l are provided with shanks 8 which extend through the covering 6 and are secured by coil springs 9 to the cross channels 5 at the bottom of the spring unit 3. The 5 springs 9, together with their relation to the complete cushion structure, comprise the subject matter of this invention.

The shanks 8 of the buttons 1 are provided with eyes it which receive the small hooked ends H 10 of the springs 9. The springs 9 are provided with relatively larger loops I2 which are bent around the spacing channels 5 at points thereon directly beneath the buttons 1.

As shown particularly in Fig. 5 the spring 9 is formed of a plurality of adjacent coils. One of the coils i3 is deformed so that the entire spring comprises two portions angularly disposed with respect to each other. The deformed coil l3 may be shaped, by cold bending, after a uniform spring has been wound or it may be formed at the time the spring is being wound.

In operation when a person sits on the cushion the coil springs 2 are compressed. Should they be compressed to a position past that at which the coils 9 are fully retracted the break formed by the deformed coil l3 will permit the spring 9 to deflect laterally whereby the rigid column effeet, which would exist should the spring 9 fail to deflect laterally, is avoided. It will thus be seen that the spring 9 by exerting the resilient pull on the button 7 holds the covering 6 tight and smooth under all conditions of use even after the covering has stretched as a result of having been in long use and at the same time does not have the disadvantages which would be present should lateral deflection of the spring 9 be impossible. The spring 9 has a further advantage of maintaining the springs 2 slightly under compression by pulling downwardly on the buttons l thus aiding in shaping the covering 6 to give the desired tufted effect to the top thereof.

While the invention has been described in combination with a spring structure having a spring unit made up of a plurality of coil springs and in combination with buttons, it is nevertheless within its contemplation that it apply to any construction wherein the cushion covering is supported by other means than by a plurality of coil springs and also to a construction wherein the 0 spring comprising the subject of this invention is secured to the cushion covering by means other than buttons. In the claims it is intended that the term buttons be considered broad enough to define not only buttons as known in the prior art but any tab or construction secured to the cushion covering as a substitute for buttons. It is also intended that the expression deformed spring be construed as describing any spring whose axis follows a bent or curved line. I therefore do not wish to be limited except by the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A spring structure comprising an upholstered top and a bottom, said spring structure being subject to compression, resilient means spacing said top and said bottom, a cover for said top, and means to connect said cover to said bottom, said means comprising a deformed continuously coiled laterally unsupported spring secured to said cover and secured to said bottom at a point substantially opposite the point on which it is secured to said cover, said spring being characterized by the fact that when it is in an untensioned state due to said spring structure being under compression it is bent out of straight alignment due to its inherent characteristics.

2. An upholstered structure having a top andcoils disposed inwardly from the ends thereof being laterally deformed so that said coil spring, in an untensioned state due to said structure being under compression, comprises two angularly disposed portions.

3. An upholstered structure having a top and a bottom, resilient means spacing said top and bottom, a cover for said top and means connecting said cover to said bottom, said means comprising a plurality of coiled springs terminally connected to said cover and to said bottom, each of said springs having at least one of its coils deformed whereby when under operating tension each is substantially straight but when in an untensioned state each defines at least two sections angularly related toeach other.

4. In a spring structure comprising a plurality of coil springs secured together to form a spring unit, a cover for the top of said unit and a button engaging said cover, a coil spring normally under tension and straight anchored to the bottom of said unit substantially opposite said button, and means securing said coil spring to said button, said coil spring comprising a plurality of adjacently disposed coils, one of said coils being so deformed that said coil spring in an untensioned state due to relative inward movement of said cover and said bottom comprises two angularly disposed portions.

CLAIR S. REED. 

